The jade plate trembled slightly the moment it was grasped.

Zong Shou’s expression eased considerably. Suppressing the plate had taken a significant expenditure of his spiritual energy.

Lu Wubing, however, frowned deeply, gripping it tightly to arrest the plate’s tendency to shatter.

The hundred-plus Immortal Realm cultivators contained within were not all willing participants. Many had agreed only to secure their release from the stone platform and the severing of their chains. They clearly didn't believe Zong Shou could escape the Death Prison, and even now, they struggled against the bindings.

Fortunately, the restrictive formations he had laid down for Zong Shou were potent enough to maintain control, for now.

"But at most, only half a month's time—"

Exerting himself to the limit, he could only suppress the jade plate for about half a month.

With utmost care, Lu Wubing tucked the jade plate into his sleeve. He then stated, "The garrison here consists of six Divine Realm Azure Thunder Eagles. They are the spirit pets of an Ancestor who achieved the Saint Realm long ago, originally serving the Lu family. My own parents perished here; Your Majesty must exercise extreme caution!"

Zong Shou’s eyes flickered as he looked toward the raging tempest in the distance.

Faintly visible, streaks of cyan light zipped through the storm.

They brought with them waves of incredibly powerful magnetic surges and pervasive electrical currents.

The Thunder Eagles were descendants of the Thunder Luan. Observing the majesty of these six Thunder Eagles, the divine might of the techniques they commanded was clearly still a distance from true Divine Beasts.

In this place where wind and thunder rampaged, their combat effectiveness would likely double.

To break through here was certainly fraught with uncommon peril.

Especially under the current circumstances, being distracted by the matters within his body meant he could not exert his full strength.

Zong Shou frowned, then shook his head. Should he halt simply because the difficulty was known?

Having arrived here, retreat was cut off, and so too was the path to survival.

Since he did not fear death, there was nothing within the Nine Desolations Death Prison worth fearing.

A pair of black thunderous wings suddenly unfurled behind him.

Thunder Splendor Thousand Radiance. Thunder and fire mingled. The pair of black wings stretched over seven thousand zhang each.

A slight flap propelled Zong Shou upward into the high heavens.

Initially, it was merely a thousand times the standard gravity, but with every hundred zhang ascended, the elemental magnetic force increased by one-tenth.

Upon reaching an altitude of seven thousand zhang, the gravitational pressure reached over seven thousand times normal.

Zong Shou’s joints and bones began to creak audibly.

Fortunately, his body refinement techniques had succeeded, rendering his physical form formidable, second only to Divine Realm cultivators.

He could still sustain the pressure, but the increasingly violent, malevolent gale scraping against his body caused the power of the Blood Spirit Burning Marrow Curse to surge even more fiercely, his entire body threatening to ignite without external fire.

As he slammed into the storm circle, the six Thunder Eagles were immediately alerted.

One instantly separated from the group and hurtled down to strike.

Zong Shou’s expression remained unchanged, his charge losing no momentum. Thirty-seven strands of Dao-Guiding Dragon Tooth Swords manifested around him.

Then, torrents of sword light, like silver rivers pouring down from the heavens, followed Zong Shou’s figure, aimed at destruction and shattering everything, rushing upward in a counter-assault.

Beams of lightning erupted in response!

He was eager to see whether he, possessing the divine abilities of the Thunder Luan and the Seven Heavens Profound Thunder technique, was stronger or weaker than these Thunder Eagles when wielding the power of thunder.

In an instant, he collided with the Azure Thunder Eagle. First, electrical light flashed violently.

The entire void echoed with thunderous roars that shook thousands of li.

Next, the sword light impacted the body of the Azure Thunder Eagle.

Hundreds of streams of sword light clashed against its iron plumage and the sharp talons of its beak.

After only a brief moment, the Azure Thunder Eagle let out a mournful cry. A splatter of blood erupted from its left iron wing. It dissolved into electric light and violently retreated dozens of li away at the critical juncture.

The remaining Azure Thunder Eagles roared in fury, abandoning their passive stance, and swept down to attack.

Zong Shou’s expression hardened. He utilized his spread thunder wings to soar through the vast sky, resisting the magnetic forces.

Clumps of sword shadows continued to slash toward the cyan thunder light ahead, seemingly intending to pursue and slay the injured Azure Thunder Eagle beneath his swords.

But just as the others rushed in anxiously, they flickered.

They zipped dozens of li away, then blinked again, arriving beside the Gate of the Underworld.

It was the instantaneous spatial relocation ability of the Star Dao Seed.

Ignoring the enraged and screaming giant birds behind him, Zong Shou took a stride forward, intending to enter the Eighth Layer of the Death Prison directly.

However, just as he was about to step across, a powerful pressure suddenly pierced through the void from a distance.

A light grunt echoed near his ear: "What useless fools!"

It was unclear whether this was directed at Zong Shou or a reprimand for the Thunder Eagles.

Lu Jueyan!

Zong Shou’s face turned ashen. He himself felt no abnormality within his body.

That Jueyan also seemed unwilling to strike him directly.

However, the passage into the spatial rift of the Eighth Layer was forcibly halted and sealed, preventing him from stepping inside.

The six Thunder Eagles screeched again, seemingly enraged by shame, gathering torrents of thunderous storms and charging him in coordinated assaults from multiple directions.

Zong Shou’s thoughts cleared instantly from disappointment and frustration.

Then, instead of anger, he smiled faintly. Was this an attempt to use the six Thunder Eagles to force him back, or to kill him?

Very well, he would comply with the Saint Venerable's wishes. He would settle the score of life and death with these six Thunder Eagles—

He merely wondered how long this Saint Venerable could seal the Gate of the Underworld Abyss.

The Nine Realms’ restrictive formations were interconnected and mutually sustaining. If they were not linked, they would inevitably fall apart. This suited him perfectly!

With a sudden horizontal slash of his sword, five distinct dragon shadows manifested instantly behind him.

They coiled and twisted, rushing onto the sword blade, then merged as one!

Platinum Dragon Sword! Thunder Dragon Sword! Profane Yin Dragon Sword! Blazing Dragon Vast Sword! Instant Space Dragon Sword!

"Slash!"

In the Ninety-Nine True Dragon Sword Arts, Zong Shou could achieve nine swords layered, and could merge seven swords.

But he had never managed to fuse more than four swords into one!

Yet now, facing immediate peril and oppressed by the supreme-level intent, this sword strike, unleashed without hesitation, forcefully merged these five blades. The sword momentum was flawless, its sharpness utterly unstoppable!

The charging Azure Thunder Eagle sensed the danger immediately, fear flashing in its eyes.

Without hesitation, it instantly twisted its trajectory, attempting to flee the sword's lock.

But this beam of light, resembling the manifestation of a primordial giant dragon, seemed utterly unimpeded by space or time.

The sword aura swept past, and even though the Azure Thunder Eagle managed to evade the direct hit, a section of its wing, along with nearly half its body, was severed. It plummeted like a shooting star beneath the storm.

Zong Shou didn't even watch. His eyes closed, observing this world only through the Illusionary Heart Mirror.

The bloody sword shadow did not pause, turning back for another sweep!

Ice Chi Dragon Sword! Wind and Cloud Dragon Sword! Blazing Dragon Vast Sword! Instant Space Dragon Sword! Thunder Dragon Sword!

Another fusion of five swords!

Three thousand li of wind and clouds churned; the moisture in the entire space froze into ice dust.

Fierce thunderous light gathered upon the sword. The heaven-burning fire, the Thunder Splendor Thousand Radiance, smashed the world, shattered the Great Dao.

The Instant Space Dragon Sword moved space and struck!

With a light chi sound, one of the charging Thunder Eagles had its head cleanly severed by this single sword strike!